Uncoupling device



July 26, 1927. I

Y J. MCMULLEN uncoumm DEVICE Patented July 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOHN MOMULL EN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

UNCOUPLING DEVICE.

Application filed May 22,

This invention relates to uncoupling devices for car couplings and has for an object the provision of a simple and eflicient device for raising the locking pin of a car coupling by a pulling movement of a hand lever, thereby permitting an operator to actuate the uncoupling device through the application of a force exerted in a direction away from the car and not inwardly between the ends of two adjacent cars that are being uncoupled, with the result that danger of the operator falling between the cars, should he lose his balance, is ractically eliminated. A further object of t 1e invention is to provide an exceedingly simple and economical device which develops a powerful leverage on the coupling pin, though with a minimum of efiort on the part of the operator.

The invention has for other objects such other improvements or advantages in construction and operation as may be found to obtain in the structures or devices hereinafter described or claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and showing, for purposes of exemplification a preferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limit ing the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances.

Figure 1 is an elevational view of an uncoupling device constructed in accordance with the present improvements and applied to the end of a railway car;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detailed vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical section on the line 4:4 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modification; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the modified form illustrated in Fig. 5;

The same characters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the end sill of a railway car formed of the usual channel bar is indicated at 11 and a portion of a car coupling is indicated at 12, said coupling being provided with a locking pin or block 13 which, when lifted, releases the coupling 12 and permits it to uncouple from a companion coupling carried by an adjacent car. The coupling pin 13 is provided at its upper end with an eye 1920. Serial No. 383,390.

1 1 which receives one end of the pin-lifting lever, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Bolted to the vertical web of the end sill 11 is a bracket 15 having a depending outwardly and downwardly extending inclined offset portion 16, at the lower end of which portion 16 is formed a U-shaped bearing 17, illustrated more particularly in Fig. 4;. Pivoted at between the opposite members 18, 19 of the bearing 17 is one end of the pin operating or lifting lever 21. As shown in Fig. 2 the opposite members 18, 19 of the bearing 17 are spaced sufficiently far apart to allow the pivotal end of the lever 21 to more longitudinally of the car in its bearing 17 and thus accommodate the longitudinal movements of the coupler 12, under draft and buffing stresses. This lever 21 extends diagonally outwardly with respect to the plane of the end sill 11, as shown in Fig. 2 and its contracted free end portion 22 passes freely through the eye 14 of the locking pin 13 of the coupler, the extremity of said contracted portion 22 being formed with an upstanding hook 23 to pre vent disengagement of the coupling 13 from the lever 21 on lateral movement of the coupler, although allowing such lateral movement to take place freely without transmitting stresses to the lever 21. The pivotal end of the lever 21 as well as its contracted free end'22 both lie in vertical planes approximately parallel with the vertical.

plane of the end sill 11, in order to allow the full longitudinally bodily play of the lever 21 under draft and buffing movements of the coupler 12.

Between the aforesaid bracket 15 and the coupling pin 13, a second bracket 24 is also bolted to the vertical web of the end sill 11.

This bracket 24 is also provided with a depending outwardly and downwardly inclined offset portion 25, but longer than the offset portion 16 of thebracket 15. Formed at the bottom of the offset portion 25 of the bracket 24 is a U-shaped bearing 26' the opposite members 27 and 28 of which lie in a. plane substantially parallel with the main plane of the pin operating or lifting lever 21. Pivoted at 29 in the bearing 26 is the lower end of a lift lever 30. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the op osite sides of said lever 30 in the interme iate portion thereof are spaced apart from each other to form an elongated lot 31, through which slot the (Figs. 1

, ro ler pin lifting lever 21 projects. At its upper end the lift lever 30 is pivoted, as shown at 32, to the hooked end of the handopcrated pull lever 33, the inner portion of wh ch lies in substantially the same plaue as the lever-3O and the mainportion qfum pin operating lever 21. At its forwardend, the pull lever 33 lies in a vertical plane substantially parallel with the vertical web of the end sill '11, and such parallel portion 34 of the lever 33 passes freely through a bearing 35 supportedby a bracket 36 bolted to the vertical web of the end sill 11 at a pointmorerclnote from the coupler than the bracket 15. For operating the pull lever 33, the latter is formed at its extreme end adjacent the side of the car with a handle 37.

In the form of the invention illustrated in and 2, an operative connection between the lift leverj30 and the pin operating lever 2115- established by means of a roller 38located'between and pivoted at 39 to the op osite side members of the lever 30. y This 38 bearsagainst the bot-tom edge of the pin operating lever 21, and when the lift lever 30 is rocked in a counter clockwise direction bypulling the hand operated lever 33 "outwardly from the side of the car the roller 38 rides along the bottom edge of the pin operating lever 21 and in so doing pushessaid lever 21 upwardly, so as to lift the coupling pin 13 and release the coupling 12. r e

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the roller 38 may be omitted and a link 40 substituted therefor; The lower end 7 of this link 40 pivoted at d1 to the lift lever 30 between the opposite side members thereof, and theupper end of the link .40

, is formed with a yoke 42 embracing the opvposite faces of the pin operating lever 21 and pivoted thereto at 43. On pulling the hand operated lever: 33 outwardly from the side of the car, the counter clockwise rocking of the'lever30 causes the link 40 to lift the pin operating lever 21, thereby liftingthe couplenpin13.,

The invention Pas ,hereinabove set forth is embodied in a particular form of construction, but may be variously'embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I Claim:

a 1. In an uncoupling device for railway cars, the combination with a car coupler and its coupling p n, of a pin-operating lever pivotally carried by the car independently of the coupler, a pivoted lift lever for actuatingsaid pin-operating lever, and a handoperated pull rod connected to said lift lever andadapted when pulled outwardly from i the side of the/ ear to actuate said lift lever.

In' anuncoupling device, the combination with a car coupling and its coupling pin,

9f *PPPliP ieiiDgl v r h r g an opera earingoflhc pin-operating lever and the coupler and located below said last men tioned bearing a reciprocatory hand operated pull rod connected with said lift lever i and adapted when pulled outwardly from the side of the car to actuate said lift lh'er, and an operating connection interposcdbctween said lift lever and said pin-operatin lever, substantially as specified. 1v 3. In an uncoupling dcvice,vthe combination with a car coupler and its coupling pin, of a pin-operating lever pivotally carried by the car independently of the coupler, a pivoted lift lever for actuating said pinoperating lever, a reciprocatory hand-operated pull rod connected with said lift lever and adapted when pulled outwardly from the side of the car to actuate said lift lever, and means carried by thelift lever adapted to slidably engage said pin operatinglever.

4'. In anuncoupling device, the combination with a car coupling and its coupling pin, of a pivoted pin-operating levervhaving an operative connection with said coupling pin, a pivoted lift lever for actuating.

said pin-operating lever, a reciprocatory hand-operated pull rod connected wth said lift lever and adapted when pulled outwardly from the side of the car to actuate said lift lever, and a roller carried by said lift lever and bearing against the bottom,

llll

edge of said pin-operating levelgvsubstantially as specified. V

5. In an uncoupling device, in combination: a pull rod, a pin operating lever piv-' oted at one end in a plane below the plane of the eye of the uncoupling device and having its other end slidablyengaging iin" the eye of the vpin ofthe coupler, a lever connected at its upper-end to; said pull rod and pivoted at its other end in y a; plane below said pin operating lever, and adapted lever connected at one end to said pull rod,

and pivoted in a fined hearing at its other end, said last mentioned lever *when operated by said pull rod being adapted to have a when pulled around its pivot to have sliding sliding engagement with and thereby raise said pin operating lever to raise Ethe coupler p n. i a

7. In an uncoupling device, in loombina tion; a pull rod, a,-p1n operating lever pivoted at one end; vina fixed heading, an actuating lever adapted to slidably engage 0 eratin lever and said pin operating lever, said actuating lever being pivoted in a fixed bearing, said pull rod and said actuating lever directly connected with each other.

8. A top operating uncoupling mechanism involving a pull rod, a lift lever, and a. pin operating lever, the lift lever being adapted to slidably engage said pin-operating lever to cause it to lift the coupling pin to uncoupling position.

9. A top operating uncoupling mechanism involving a pull rod, a pivoted lift lever, and a pivoted pin-operating lever, the lift lever being adapted to bear against the pinslide longitudinally thereof to cause it to move the coupling pin to uncoupling position.

10. An uncoupling mechanism for railway ears involving a pull rod, a lift lever, and a pin operating lever, the pull rod and lift lever being carried by the car independently of the car coupling and adapted to actuate the pin operating member through a sliding connection therewith.

11. An uncoupling mechanism involving a pull rod, a lift lever, and apin operating lever, the lift lever having portions embracing the pin operating lever and adapted upon being actuated to slide longitudinally of the pin operating lever to cause the coupling pin to assume uncoupling position.

12. An uncoupling mechanism involving a pull rod, a lift lever, and a pin operating lever, the lift lever having a slot to receive the pin operating lever and adapted upon being actuated to move the pin operating lever to cause the coupling pin to assume uncoupling position.

JOHN MCMULLEN. 

